“Even though she is always with at least one or two friends, that is not enough,” said Villaneuva, who had stopped at the Dunkin' Donuts on Union Avenue in the 2nd Ward. “With the layoffs, I fear for my daughter’s safety. Even I wouldn’t walk out there in the dark.”

The mother’s concerns typified the reactions of about 15 local residents interviewed last week about the possibility of municipal officials laying off 112 of the city’s 415 police officers, a move being considering to solve Paterson’s current budget crisis.

“It would be crazy if the number of police was reduced,” said 50-year-old Anthony Sisti, whose father was a Paterson cop decades ago. “They should be adding 120 more. Any common sense says that.”

Sisti, who was interviewed near Union Avenue and Kearny Street, said he thinks the city’s crime problems have worsened during the past two decades. “What’s next?" he asked. "Shall we let the city go down the drain?”

The other two options would be delaying the final employee paychecks under the current budget and issuing them when the next fiscal year takes effect, or deferring one paycheck for all city workers and compensating them for that when they ultimately leave their municipal jobs.

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But the paycheck delay requires approval from state officials, who reportedly have expressed misgivings about such a move, and the deferral would need consent from the city labor unions, some of which have expressed their opposition.

Seven years ago, Paterson had 500 police officers. But then-Mayor Jeffery Jones laid off 125 of them in spring 2011, and the city endured a sharp rise in violent crime that lasted several years.

“I can’t believe there may be layoffs,” said Tom Delaney, 31, as he headed to the Planet Fitness on Main Street for a workout. “Addiction is rampant in Paterson. There are people coming in from other cities, counties and even states to buy drugs. If more police are laid off, there will be more people coming in for drugs. The crime rate will go up.”

David Long, 59, who was interviewed on Union Avenue, called the situation “sad.”

“I’ve lived here for a long time,” Long said. “I think the crime is bad enough. I don’t think they have enough police as it is.”

Meanwhile, in a crime-plagued section of the 1st Ward, residents expressed mixed feelings about the possibility of police layoffs.

“It’s going to get worse here as less cops are on duty,” 29-year-old Davon Johnson said after he left a deli on North Main Street. “But the cops here do unnecessary stops and give unnecessary tickets. I’ve been stopped and frisked for no reason.”

Duke Snider, who was standing in front of a liquor store on East Main Street, said he didn’t think it would matter much if Paterson laid off officers.

Jamal Moore, a student at Passaic County Community College, had just finished eating at a restaurant on Market Street.

“I think the number of cops around here are enough,” said Moore, 27, who lives in the 4th Ward. “There is constant fighting outside, and I also hear gunfire,” Moore said. “I think that when there are more cops, people don’t like it, and when there are more people, cops don’t like it.”